Green Card (International Motor Insurance Card)
The Green Card is an internationally recognized proof of motor liability insurance coverage for using a vehicle abroad.
Concept
The Green Card is an internationally recognized document proving the existence of valid motor liability insurance, enabling vehicle owners to use their vehicle abroad without having to take out additional border insurance at the respective national border.
The International Green Card System
The Green Card system is based on a multilateral agreement, initiated in 1949, between the national insurance bureaus of numerous countries, which mutually commit to handling claims for damages arising from accidents involving foreign vehicles properly liability-insured in their country of origin as if they were a domestic vehicle.
Relevance Inside and Outside the EU
Within the European Union and the European Economic Area, presentation of the Green Card is generally no longer required due to harmonized motor liability insurance directives, since the vehicle’s own license plate already serves as proof of sufficient coverage; for trips to non-EU states that are members of the Green Card system, however, the Green Card remains an important and often mandatory proof of insurance.